Do you remember Dusko Ivanovic? Yes, that former Montenegrin basketball player and coach who, among others, was a Barcelona coach. Now he makes a living in the Besiktas. Well, Ivanovic, whenever he was looking for tickles, loved to challenge the journalist, but also the player or the manager on duty, with the same phrase: "Tiredness does not exist."

Some of that was in the preaching of this Friday by Ernesto Valverde, very sure in a statement that deconstructs much of the usual football argument. They asked the coach of the first Barca team if his squad had an ideal physical state at this start of the season. Heavy performance of some soccer players. Several injuries. Difficulties in the reaction. And the coach could not repress: "I never give much importance to physical preparation. Many people give it to them, but it is an ethereal way of influencing the team, positively or negatively. Actually, nobody understands physical preparation . football, with so many matches in a row, is about getting ready on the fly. " And he continued: "My team is fine. It is true that we are having some setbacks, more than we would like, but I will not blame the preseason. Or anything like that. We are at the Football Club Barcelona and we know the commitments what we have".

As a club man, Valverde was taking the opportunity to get past the last complaints of Gerard Piqué . The center, at the end of last Tuesday's game against Villarreal - the Catalans defeated the Spaniards in another irregular match - found alibi in the double summer tour completed by Barcelona this summer, between Japan and the United States. "The preseason has not helped. I think it is the year in which we have made more trips and less training. And we are noticing," said Piqué. Valverde, apparently, does not share vision.

The Barcelona coach has other concerns. For now, you must find a solution to the poor performance of your equipment away from home. Barça does not win at home since last April 23 . And this season he has only been able to score a point of nine possible away from the Camp Nou, with losses in San Mamés and Los Cármenes, and a draw in El Sadar. This Saturday he will have to fight with one of the most strenuous teams of Primera, the Getafe of José Bordalás, who comes from starting a tie to three in Mestalla.

"We have to take a step forward, especially away from home. It is good that the next opponent is Getafe, because it will force us a lot. It is a very complicated team that demands you to go well and face the encounter with a lot of strength. It can pass over at certain times , "Valverde warned. In any case, and beyond the fame gained in recent times by Getafe, Barcelona has already accumulated eight years without falling into the Alfonso Pérez Coliseum.

The coach of Barcelona will not be able to count on Leo Messi, whose presence in the match next Wednesday against Inter in the Champions League is also doubtful: "I don't know how long he can be down, but we hope he will be with the team soon. In principle Messi doesn't have a serious injury. It's a small elongation. Next week we'll see how everything goes. "

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • Leo Messi
  • Japan
  • Gerard Piqué
  • U.S
  • Ernesto Valverde
  • sports
  • FC Barcelona

Champions League 2019 - 2020The claim of Ter Stegen: "Everyone knows what I am capable of"

LaLiga SantanderMessi: "I don't know if the club wanted or not, but Neymar really wanted to come"

LaLiga SantanderMessi prolongs its loss and will not play against Valencia